Drowned in Sound Why Some Festival Headliners Still Need Part-Time Jobs (Part 1)
From scout-hut gigs to the economics of touring, DiS sits down with Giles Bidder - host of 101 Part Time Jobs for an unsentimental look at how creative lives are actually sustained today.
In this first instalment, Sean Adams talks to one of the UK’s most quietly compelling broadcasters about the hidden labour behind music culture. Over nearly 600 episodes, Bidder has built one of the most humane music podcasts around, asking artists, writers, and comedians not about their success but about the jobs they’ve done to survive.
Giles explains how 101 Part Time Jobs emerged as both portfolio and refuge: a way to make sense of a patchwork career, rediscover belonging, and document how people navigate a system that rarely works in their favour. Along the way, the conversation takes in touring economics, merch, sync, class, and why even bands who play the Roundhouse still need “normal jobs.”
What emerges is a stark but generous thesis: music is socially priceless and economically precarious. Until that gap closes, culture will continue to run on grit, goodwill, and vast amounts of invisible labour.
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Edited by:
Josh Craggs at Dubble Audio
Chapters
00:00 - Intro
01:26 - Sitting in the “other chair”: Giles as guest, not host
04:05 - Ska/punk origins, micro-prejudices, and how scenes teach you
07:45 - Why 101 Part Time Jobs began: Universal Credit, lockdown, stability
08:55 - Human curation and introducing unknown artists
11:25 - The myth of “making it”: Roundhouse bands with day jobs
13:55 - Why meaningful art can still leave artists broke
16:10 - Music is priceless but paid in grains of pennies
18:20 - Gilla Band, Lambrini Girls, and invisible cultural impact
19:25 - Class, rent, and the radical idea of simply covering your life
20:15 - Why customer-facing jobs matter (merch, coffee shops, respect)
23:55 - Hard work, timing, and opportunity
25:20 - Standout episodes and the “slow-burn” edit
29:10 - Bad bosses, anger, and fear-based workplaces
31:55 - Power, responsibility, and attention in podcasting
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Links & Resources
101 Part Time Jobs (Giles Bidder)
Community Garden Radio (Shaun Keaveny)